Gifted and Talented Kids

My son is four and has been classified as gifted and talented by his prekindergarten teacher. Of course, we are now quite concerned for many reasons on how best to understand, talk to and treat our son. The teacher as well as the principal are really not that informative on the how, when, why and what this new information actually means. What can we do to get more details and find out how to handle things in our everyday home life with our son now that he has been given this new classification?

ANSWER FROM READER:

Your son's school should have a gifted and talented teacher or a professional that either comes to the school or is currently on campus full time. Make an appointment with that person to get your basic questions answered. When our daughter was determined by various tests to also be in this category, the regular staff of teachers did not have the in-depth information to our many concerns. However, there was an experienced teacher of the program that came to the school two days a week. She was very helpful and we asked many questions. - Laura and Donny in Memphis, TN

FROM JODIE:

When parents are told of their child being among the select few who qualify for this type of program, there is almost always an infinite amount of questions. These can range from the how, when, what and why to a wide array of mixed emotions of the parents as well as friends and relatives. The children usually accept it well and may even feel vindicated for finally getting an answer to their passion for the love of learning and creativity that they have already experienced but could not explain or express. Hopefully, you will be able to talk to someone who can help you understand what being gifted and talented really entails and how best to heighten your son's everyday life and how to discuss it with others. There are many schools who will offer a separate school/wing/room for such a program while others may only have a budget for a teacher to come to his current school two to three times a week. The ideal situation is to have him enrolled in a school where an experienced teacher is on staff and has classes for the whole school year. Either way, there should be a parent support group for you and his dad to attend. This is a wonderful network of seasoned individuals to help with various situations and to learn from each other in the next few years of your son's upcoming education. There are literally hundreds of books that can be of significant importance to you and your family all through the journey. Keep in mind no matter what that he still needs to have time and opportunity to just be a kid and simply be himself so he can grow into the man he will be, not the man others expect him to be.

CAN YOU HELP?

We just found out that my husband will be getting a promotion that requires us to move to another state. My children are quite upset. Plus, it's in a very cold area that is known for frigid weather during the winter. How can I make this a positive change?

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